The Price
by Lady Sashi
Summary: After untold years of pain Logan finally returns to find the girl he left behind may be able to give him the answers he's looking for and more, but everything comes with a price. Set after X1. I own nothing. This is the first fanfic I ever wrote, and fin


**The Price**

Rogue took another sip of tea as she played with the knobs on the microscope. This was the third time this week she had managed to sneak down to the infirmary. If Jean caught her it would be all over, but if this worked, she would have a surprise for Logan when he returned.  
She scribbled her findings in her coil scribbler, then turned to the page listing the necessary apparatuses, ticking them off as she located them; leaving plenty of room for adjustment.  
Cleaning the slide and putting the microscope away, she made her way above ground.  
As Rogue drifted down the hall, she turned into Logan's room, as was now routine when she made her midnight runs, and drifted off to sleep with her hand curled round the metal dog tags she cherished.

An icy chill brought Rogue back the Professor as he was running over this week's physics assignment. Looking over at Bobby, she grinned apologetic thanks and set to copying the assignment when the faint sound of a motor caught her ear.  
Rogue looked up at the Professor expectantly. How many time had she run out of class, only to be disappointed. He gave her a curt nod, and she raced out of the room at a speed that would rival Pietro's.  
She was in such a hurry that she nearly toppled over at the edge of the garage as Logan turned of the ignition.  
She just stood there, dumbfounded. He hadn't changed a bit, still ageless as time.  
Her voice almost cracked as she said the first thing that came to her mind, "hi".  
"Hi", Logan echoed.  
Rogue reached around her neck and took off the dog tags, "this is yours".  
Logan, waving his hand, shook his head, "they're yours".  
They stood there uncomfortably, then Rogue remembered, "I have something for you".  
He raised an eyebrow, Rogue smiled, "come on".  
He followed her into the manor to her dorm, where she rifled under her bed. Pulling out a leather-bound journal, she handed it to Logan.  
"What's this"? He asked.  
"Open it", Rogue encouraged.  
Logan scanned the contents, "they're memories. _My_ memories".  
Rogue nodded, "when they're mine, they seem clearer".  
"Thank you", he said uncomfortably.  
The next day she was sent to see the Professor. Normally she'd be worried, but the Professor was just one of those people you could really talk to.  
She wondered if it had anything to do with his telepathy.  
As she entered the room, she was surprised to see not only the Professor, but Jean and Logan as well.  
Rogue smiled nervously, "you wanted to see me, Sir"?  
"Yes, how have you been sleeping"?, he inquired.  
Her smile faded in a moment of panic, "fine".  
Jean pulled out Rogue's scribbler and passed it to the Professor.  
Rogue sent out a surge of panic so violent, that it nearly crippled both telepaths, and almost sent Logan into sensory overload.  
Recovering from the mental assault, Jean continued, "I found this this morning".  
Why hadn't she remembered to rake it!  
The Professor flipped though the scribbler, then looked at Rogue.  
"Were you planning on telling us about this"?  
"It's not finished", Rogue pleaded.  
The Professor handed the scribbler to Logan; Rogue held her breath in anticipation.  
Logan looked at her, "is this possible"?  
"I believe so", Rogue put in meekly.  
"When could you start"? Logan pressed.  
"I think we're jumping ahead of ourselves", the Professor cut in. "What Rogue is offering you is a choice. You may not be able to accept the terms. I think you should wait to decide, at least until you know all the risks involved".  
"It's virtually risk-free, and we have almost everything we need, but I want you to be sure". Rogue focused on Logan.

The next few weeks Rogue spent every waking moment in the infirmary with Jean. The Professor had been kind enough to excuse her from classes, and everyone was wondering what was going on, but knew better than to ask. She was hard at work processing and dissecting Adamantium samples, and running tests on Logan, while Logan in turn, did some serious thinking.  
What did this mean?  
Could she really rid of him of what they had done to him so long ago?  
What would it be like to swim?  
He wouldn't be Erik's puppet anymore.  
But he wouldn't be able to protect Marie either.

It had been three days since Rogue had left the infirmary for anything longer than a bathroom break. Jean brought her meals and a change of clothes, and woke her if she dozed off on a bed more than a half an hour.  
Rogue had been poking and prodding her sample for hours, when it suddenly destabilized. She raced out of the infirmary and ran straight into Logan. She smiled at him, and dragged him off to see her discovery.  
He laughed, he actually laughed, sweeping her up in giant bear hug.  
Pulling away, she addressed him seriously, "I need to know".  
"I'm ready", he said.  
"You understand that this may not work, and what it means if it does", she pressed.  
Logan nodded.  
Rogue sighed,"when do you want to do this"?  
"As soon as you're rested", Logan confirmed.  
Rogue turned to leave when Logan spoke, "Marie, I want you to do it".  
Rogue was shocked, had he actually called her Marie? "Logan I-"  
"It's your procedure, I need you there". He didn't say that she was the one he wanted to see when he opened his eyes.

Two weeks later, Rogue, rested and confident, went over everything one last time.  
She checked over the materials and made sure everything was working properly. Running a few last minute tests, she checked her calculations, then consulted Jean.  
Rogue had decided to use a psychic sedative because of the unpredictable effect drugs had on Logan. She didn't want him waking up.  
She didn't want that to happen to him, not again.  
Rogue checked to see that everything was as comfortable as possible. With that done, there was only one thing left.  
They'd need bobby for this.  
Rogue had no problem convincing bobby, and he even volunteered for a mind wipe. She briefed him on the procedure on the way to the infirmary.  
As they entered the room, the doors slid shut automatically, and Rogue had the strange feeling of being trapped.  
Logan was waiting for them, and she briefed him on the procedure while they all politely turned their backs as she changed into the scrubs Jean had provided her.  
Logan lay down, as Jean, positioned at his head, slowly administered the sedative. Logan slid his hand into Rogue's, "why are you doing this"?  
"Because I won't rest until you have your life back", she stated.  
He placed a gentle kiss on her latexed hand and squeezed it reassuringly, as the sedative finally took affect, and with that the procedure began.  
Jean concentrated as she telekinetically removed the necessary components one molecule at a rime until the metal destabilized, while Bobby induced hypothermia. Then they drained Logan's immortal blood, and set to suctioning the liquid from his bones.  
A tedious three hours later, they introduced Logan's reheated blood and lifted the sedative. Jean wiped Bobby's mind and sent him back to class as she left Rogue with Logan.  
Half an hour later Logan opened his eyes and saw Rogue looking down at him tranquilly.  
"Did it work"? he asked.  
"See for yourself", Rogue invited.  
He called for his claws...  
Nothing happened.  
"It worked", he said half-heartedly.  
"It'll take time to get used to", she smiled sadly.

It was hard having to learn to use a knife rather than his claws, or wait while his broken bones had to be quickly set before they healed, but the Professor kept his secret till he was ready to reveal it.

Three weeks later Logan took Rogue fishing, she loved the outdoors almost as much as she loved being with Logan.  
As he cleaned the fish, she went for firewood.  
Rogue had found a small clearing not far from camp, when she heard something in the bush.  
Logan was filleting fish when he keen ears caught the sharp snap of a twig. Grabbing the knife, he raced off in Rogue's direction.  
What he saw made him have to fight to keep the bile down.  
There had been a struggle, she had fought to take his energy.  
_Good girl!_  
Logan knew the assailant was male because the footprints were heavyset. Rogue's glove lay on the ground.  
But there were no broken sticks.  
Horrified, he fell to his knees beside Rogue's lifeless, broken body, as he realized every bone in her body had been shattered.  
The sound he had heard had been the sound of her bones snapping.  
It was all happening again.  
He pressed his hands to her face and covered her mouth with his in an attempt to breathe life into her...  
But she was already cold.  
He let out a howl to rival that of a pack of wolves.  
Logan could smell Sabretooth everywhere, but he couldn't go after him, not like this.  
The next day Rogue was buried, Logan was asked to give the eulogy, which he did with the greatest respect.  
"Marie, or as everyone knew her, Rogue, had a free spirit and did what was required of her, no questions asked. She led a simple life, and never seem ed to let her gift stop her from doing anything. She may have thought of it as a curse, but she was a blessing. It seems a miracle, that one who could not be touched, has managed to touch us all."  
His next words were more for him then anyone else.  
"You said you wouldn't rest until I had my life back; you are my life, come back to me".  
As the coffin was lowered, Ororo's voice rose, "you are not forsaken, God cries for you".  
She summoned the rain as they all departed, and Logan sank to his knees, finally allowing his feelings to rage.  
He had danced around her and flirted with her, even dared to love her, but when he was confronted about her, he would deny it, find fault with it.  
He could never let himself love her, but he had wanted to; oh, how he had wanted to.  
In all the time he had known her, she had only wanted to please him. She had given him back his memories, she had stopped the nightmares, had stripped him of his hated "bones".  
He had only given her pain.  
He would cherish the last gift she could ever give him.  
He picked up her gloves and scarf, and hid them in his jacket before the rain could claim her scent, and went inside.  
As Logan navigated the halls, he found himself in Rogue's dorm room. He sniffed around till he found Rogue's bed.

Jubilee was returning to the dorm ahead of the others, and froze at the door.  
Logan was spread out on Rogue's bed with her scarf wrapped round his arm, and her gloves in his belt.  
The pillow was wet, and he had tear streaks on his face.  
Jubilee closed the door and told the rest of the girls to go downstairs.

Bobby was taking it really hard, he would sit in his dorm room looking at a picture of him and Rogue last summer at the fair. Whenever the door opened he expected Rogue to pop her head in the door and plunk down on the bed beside him, with that child-like smile on her face.

It had been almost a month and nothing had changed, the Professor was seriously considering a school-wipe mind-wipe.  
Bobby had rarely left his room, and Logan had taken to some kind of hibernation.  
Suddenly the Professor was snapped back to reality,.  
_"Help me"._  
The Professor summoned Scott and Jean, and they raised the coffin. Lifting Rogue's lifeless body, Scott ventured a touch.  
Rogue inhaled sharply, as Scott swooned.  
"Don't open your eyes", Jean warned.  
Too late.  
Nothing happened.  
Rogue spotted a disc nearby and focused. Two red beams shot from her eyes, focusing on the middle and neutralizing the target.  
"Scott, you're so loud", Rogue said, stroking the side of her head, "Shh, that's better".  
Up until now the Professor had been silent, "it would appear that during her absence, Rogue has absorbed spiritual energy, which has allowed her to return to the living, and control both mental, and physical aspects of her power. Though it is still unwise to touch her without some form of barrier".  
"Can I go see Logan and Bobby now", Rogue asked.  
The Professor nodded and told her where they were, giving her a pair of biker's gloves from the garage.  
Rogue had decided to see Bobby first. Keeping to shadows to make sure no one saw her, she made her way to his dorm room.  
It was Saturday, so there would be no one else there to disturb them.  
As Rogue popped her head in the door, Bobby looked up from his picture, he had obviously been crying.  
She plopped herself down on the bed, that familiar smile on her face.  
Bobby looked at her blankly.  
Rogue slapped him hard across the face, "wake up, idiot"!  
Bobby stared at her in shocked disbelief, as realization crept into his eyes.  
He gave her such a forceful hug, she was knocked back on the bed.  
Laughing warmly, she hugged him back, "I missed you too, Spine-tingler".

When Rogue entered her dorm room, she was touched to see Logan asleep on her bed, with her scarf round his arm, and her gloves in his belt.  
Rogue lay down beside him, her arm round his ribs.  
He responded to the warm weight with a gentle sigh.  
"Marie".  
Rogue's throat tightened, he still thought about her.  
Logan turned over and snuggled in closer. Rogue ran a gentle hand through his hair, he stirred and tilted his head up to stare at her blankly, "Marie", he said sleepily.  
Rogue hugged him, and he hugged her back as if he would never let go.  
"I'll always come back to you", she whispered through her tears.


End file.
